Trial of world’s most remote public EV charger in St Helena
The British Overseas Territory of St Helena, which is 1200 miles off the south-west coast of Africa, is the location for what is believed to be a trial of the most remote public electric vehicle charging point.
It is the latest step in a plan for the tropical island, made famous as the final place of exile for Napoleon and home to 192-year-old tortoise Jonathan, to switch almost entirely to sustainable power and zero-emission transport by the end of this decade.
Global car manufacturer Subaru and Norwegian electric vehicle charger brand Easee have collaborated with the St Helena Government to test the feasibility, reliability and adaptability of electric vehicle use on one of the most remote inhabited islands on the planet.
The trial lasted 2 months and featured an Easee Charge unit being installed beside the island’s Museum in the capital, Jamestown. It was connected to the St. Helena grid by island power provider Connect St Helena Ltd, and was used to charge an all-electric Subaru Solterra, which was put through its paces across the rugged St Helena landscape.
With only four electric vehicles currently in use on St. Helena, a 2024 Subaru Solterra was transported on the regular monthly supply ship to the island for the trial by Subaru UK.
The permanent All-Wheel drive Solterra was tested on sealed and dirt roads A whole day of driving, over approximately 50 miles, used no more than 20% of the battery capacity. The undulating roads meant the battery could be recharged using the vehicle’s regenerative braking technology on downhill sections.
The Easee charging point will remain on St. Helena as part of an expanding charging network being installed for a small fleet of electric cars being imported for tourist and islander use in 2025.
Lorraine Bishton, Managing Director of Subaru UK, said:
“From Subaru’s perspective, it’s an honour to be involved in a project that could potentially lead to a fully sustainable future for Saint Helena.
“It’s a real testament to the Subaru’s reliability and capability that we’re not sending a technician with the Solterra. And to be honest, if you can operate an electric vehicle in this type of environment then you really can anywhere.”
Mark Brooks, St Helena Minister for Treasury and Economic Development, said:
“We’re excited to be a partner in this project to bring in an electric car and an electric charger and to install it as a public charging station in the remotest place in the world.”
“The next step is to roll out the infrastructure so that we are using electric vehicles more and more on the island. There are a lot of diesel and petrol vehicles primarily and we want to change that behaviour and start to use more electric vehicles.”
Adam Rodgers, Managing Director of Easee UK, said:
“I think this project really resonates with us for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we don’t believe location should be a barrier to the EV transition at all.
“And secondly, the robustness, durability, and efficacy of our charger really is a powerful accolade of which we take pride, so that we know we can place it somewhere as remote as St Helena. I just know that it’s going to work and that means the customer ultimately can rely on good, solid infrastructure that will not break down when they need it most.”
Image courtesy of Subaru